LAHORE, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 28th Aug, 2026) The Department of Specialized Healthcare and Medical education has approved the formation of a Technical Working Group (TWG) to review and develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for nursery and neonatology setups in all government teaching and tertiary care hospitals across Punjab.
According to the approval issued on Friday, Vice Chancellor University of Child Health Sciences Prof. Dr. Masood Sadiq will serve as convener of the Technical Working Group, while Professor of Neonatology (Retd), Children’s Hospital Lahore, Prof. Khwaja Ahmed Irfan Waheed, will be the co-convener.
Director General Nursing Tahira Parveen, Principal Gujranwala Medical College Prof. Haroon Hamid, Executive Director Children’s Hospital Multan Prof. Dr. Kashif Chishti, Professor of Pediatric Medicine at Khwaja Muhammad Safdar Medical College Sialkot Prof. Mudassar Hussain, Neonatologist and General Secretary PPA (Punjab) Dr. Kaleem Akhtar Malhi, Associate Professor Neonatology at Quaid-e-Azam Medical College Bahawalpur Dr. Muhammad Anwar, Assistant Professor Neonatology at Children’s Hospital Lahore Dr. Mazhar Qadeer Khan, Biomedical Engineer at Children’s Hospital Lahore Irfan Haider, and a representative of Emergency Services Department (Rescue 1122) will serve as members of the group.
The Technical Working Group has been tasked with formulating clinical admission and discharge criteria to ensure optimal utilization of resources and effective load management. It will also establish formal step-down and shared-care pathways with affiliated and peripheral hospitals to facilitate efficient use of available resources and transfer of stable neonates.
The group will provide guidance on infrastructure requirements related to fire hazards, electrical load hazards and emergency evacuation challenges in neonatal units. It will also draft comprehensive SOPs covering fire protection, emergency evacuation, firefighting and electrical load management according to the specific requirements of neonatal care environments.
The committee will further develop training modules for evacuation drills, neonatal care and basic firefighting for doctors, nurses and support staff.
The Technical Working Group has been directed to submit its recommendations to the competent authority within seven days.
